Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) located in Rocket Center, West Virginia, is a diverse industrial complex employing some 1,000 people across . The facility is a member of the Federal Laboratory Consortium and is operated by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) under contract with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Current operation The ABL facility is a manufacturer of advanced composite structures for the F-22 Raptor and other aerospace projects. ATK also operates 6 of 11 known advanced fiber placement machines. In addition the site produces about 80 military products, including: 30mm shells for Apache helicopters, training grenades, fuze-proximity sensors, mortars and warheads, and tank ammunition. Also on the site is the Robert C. Byrd Hilltop Office Complex and the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing. At the Robert C. Byrd Complex on the hill companies have rented space to do secure research, among them International Business Machines (which recently acquired National Interest Security Company) who is digitizing data on hurricane cleanup, avian influenza, and weather records. History ABL was established in 1944 on the site of a former ammunitions plant on land owned by the Army. After World War II, the plant was transferred to the Office of Scientific Research and Development and was involved in building propulsion devices and engines for the solid-rocket industry. Later in the decade, ownership of ABL was transferred to the Navy office of Naval Sea Systems Command. In 1956 when it was producing Altair rocket stages for Vanguard rockets, ABL was, "A subsidiary of the Navy operated by the Hercules Powder Company." The Navy now contracts out operation of the facility to ATK (Alliant Techsystems), a $3.4 billion corporation based in Edina, Minnesota. In 1998, ATK's Conventional Munitions Group was selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems to produce the fiber-placed composite pivot shaft assembly for the F-22 Raptor air-dominance fighter. Work on the production program is performed at Alliant's automated fiber placement production facility at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory. The fiber placement facility was constructed as part of a $177 million renovation and restoration program funded by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which owns the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory.Alliant Techsystems Selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems to Produce Composite Pivot Shaft for F-22 Fighter Local Perception As for the ecological impact, it is believed the facility contributes greatly to the pollution of the bordering Potomac River. While this is unsupported, the company does have numerous runoff sites. Also, the groundwater in the surrounding community has been verified to contain many contaminants, although actions have since been taken to reduce these contaminants, and are part of a constant monitoring process.West Virginia, Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (US Navy) Site, Current Site Information (NPL Pad) | Mid-Atlantic Superfund | US EPA Companies The following companies are located on the ABL site: References External links * ATK: Alliant Techsystems * Robert C. Byrd Institute * FLC: Federal Laboratory Consortium * FLC: Federal Laboratory Consortium: Mid-Atlantic * National Interest Security Company Category:Ballistics Category:Science parks in the United States Category:Business parks of the United States Category:Buildings and structures in West Virginia Category:Businesses located in Cumberland, MD-WV-PA Category:Military facilities in West Virginia Category:Military Superfund sites Category:Superfund sites in West Virginia